“There is a macho view of rough, tough police work which we see every week on The Bill, but we know that police work is not only about that.”Masculine culture intrudes into the private lives of women officers such as speculation over whether she is a ‘dyke or a bike’.”There seems to be some reluctance to fully embrace equal opportunities policies in some forces. There is a culture of deeply entrenched beliefs that women are marginal.”Sexism is now underground, normally taking place in the CID pub which is usually full of male officers swapping jokes about their female colleagues and using sexist humour.”Women are invited to see hard-core pornography as part of their training in CID with the explanation that it will get them used to what they will have to face.” Dr Young, who based his assertions on 11 years of research conducted while serving as a senior officer in the Merseyside and West Mercia forces, said: “The infrastructure is bound in concrete and an underground network has built up in CID pubs where sexist humour prevails.”Catherine Little, a law lecturer at Manchester Metro University, agreed that a macho culture was discouraging women from joining the police.She said that the police force was based on a “militaristic model” and needed more emphasis on services. More than 500 female officers from 44 countries around the world attending the International Association of Women Police conference at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre were told of a culture of underground sexism and men-only drinking dens.
Dr Malcolm Young, an anthropologist and former police officer, said anti-sexist measures in the force had only driven chauvinism underground. He claimed that senior officers in Britain regularly referred to police women as “burglars’ dogs” and many believed they had no place in the force.He told the audience, which included delegates from the British Association of Women Police, that some female CID officers were shown hard-core pornography by male detectives so they could “get used to the sort of things they will have to deal with”.He said: “I am a pessimist and the situation will only change if we have a 50/50 ratio of male and female officers. Women wanting to join the police are frightened of joining the force due to a macho culture which sees female officers labelled as “dykes, bikes and burglars’ dogs”. Relatively common species of psychoactive fungus which tastes bitter and can cause hallucinations.Psilocybe semilanceata (Liberty Cup). “Magic mushroom” can be picked and eaten raw without breaking the law, but processing to make the active ingredient psiliocybin more potent could be illegal..

Prone to sensational outbursts, Zulema described in a popular biography of the president how Menem beat her and threatened to kill her (she, in turn, publicly threatened to kill him on several occasions) and just last month was claiming that the death of their son last summer was not an accident, as was originally reported.Omar Bongo and “les call-girls de luxe”Last year an Italian-born fashion designer, Francesco Smalto, was fined pounds 78,000 for supplying prostitutes to the president of west African state of Gabon during sales trips there. The court was told that Smalto recruited women on several occasions between 1990 and 1993 to fly to Gabon, ostensibly for showings of clothes he hoped to sell to President Bongo, but their duties turned out to be more along the lines of removing them. Symptoms of Amanatin poisoning felt after eight hours.Gymnopilus Junonius. Tasty if picked young, sliced and cooked.Fistulina Hepatica (Beefsteak Fungus) Found growing on the sides of trees Eat raw or cooked Has a slightly lemony taste.Aminata Phalloides (Death Cap) Common in south of England. Amanatin poisoning causes severe stomach upset, and subsequent liver and/or kidney dysfunction.Cortinarius Speciosissimus.

Causes Orellanine syndrome with damage to liver, kidneys and spinal cord Usually fatal Found mainly in Scotland.Aminata Verina (Fool’s Mushroom) Quite rare Reported to have a good taste. Can be mistaken for footballs, and may grow to weigh up to 25kg. Relatively common in this country, and much in demand for its vivid yellow colour and sweet taste.Calvatia Gigantea (Giant Puffball). It converts it into food for plants,” added Ms Cooke.”It’s all quite fascinating. I think fungi are quite beautiful and some of them have very distinctive smells and tastes.”Superstition and myths surround fungi because one day they’re here and the next they’re gone,” explained Ms Cooke “Take the yellow brain fungus for example They look like small blobs of yellow jelly. People used to say they were the first aliens from outer space to land on earth because they were found where it was believed shooting stars fell.

I think that’s quite charming,” added Ms Cooke.”I could go on talking about fungi all day…”Cantharellus Cibarius (Chanterelle) The Latin name means “good to eat”. Today it enjoys international status.”Fungi play an important part in clearing the debris in woodlands and countryside. Surveys are being carried out all the time to see how fungi are thriving.”The society is dedicated to the study of fungi and was founded in 1896 at a meeting in Selby, north Yorkshire. It was humid and soggy underfoot, perfect conditions for a fungi foray. About a dozen members of the British Mycological Society were out on a wet Yorkshire hillside celebrating its centenary.